The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-07-27

get points from as shrewd q man as this heath
en- seems to be- There is a romance about the
stories OF the buccaneers and Marooners of the
spanish Main" that makes them interesting. but
ike so much of the so-called history of the last
haif or the seventeenth century, it is hard TO
separate the truth from the fiction. So when
one reads of the bravery of these West Indian
pirates and the enormous sums of money they
made away with there is tendency to set down
the whole story myth. Following this bit
OF legend there is chronological study of 1.-The
Na.ives OF SIBERIA an account OF "Ravenna
The irish timely yor, aa5sie ao 0a
sketches of its leaders; and another in
stallment Of Rebecca Harding Davisls
charming series of fine papers entitled, Here
the reader and the party all about Mobile, and
much information is impaired in a very happy
style, the pictures adding much pleasure to the
text. There is a likeness between this venture of
Mrs. Davis and that of Charles Dudley Warner
in Their Pilgrimage" which is noticeable but
theirstyles are so different and the places visit
cd so unlike, as to make one soon forget IL. Mr..
Warner continues his ''Mexcan Notes." and
sailor tells about the sailing boats of the past
and present. There is poetry and fiction, of the
dreary Editors Drawer full of very Door jokes;
but, taken as whole, the number is an excel
lent one
The installment of the Thackeray letters in
the August Scribner is as de lightful as these
preceding The publication of these letters will
serve the purpose Of conclusivey proving to the
world the falseness of some of the charges made
against him By his detrac.ors. That he was
not, as they declare, jealous of the popularity of
Dickens. is shown by his frank praise of that
writer and his acknowled cement that "Bozs"
success stimulated himself to higher efforts.
The assertion that he was overweeningly vain
and was unbecomingy elated by the notice of
titled persons; that he was, in short, a snob is
effectually disposed of by his humorous illusions
to these personages good material for future
stories, and by the simple and cbildlike refer
ences to his work. The letters
reveal precisely such character as the ad-
mire;s OF Colonel Newcome feel that his author
must have possessed The selections from the
letters of Mrs. Bovine, giving glimpses of the
social life of eighty years ago, are less sats-
factory general literature They are inter-
esting doubt to the descendants of tho New
York families mentioned, but hardly of
sufficient interest to be worthy of space in a
magazine circulated outside of that city. The
Picturesque Quality of Holland" as described
by George Hitchcock, proves this writer to be
an artist with the pen as well as the brush.
1.-The Lost Rem brandt is an imaginative tale of
a very disagreeable character by L. Il. Sullivan.
Game is much better quality of fiction:
The tragic interest of ''Seth's Brothers Wife"
increases in intensity with successive install
ments and each chapter leaves the sus-
ceptible reader inpatient for the final denoue-
rnent Professor n. S. Shaler treats in
scientific way of the instability of the
atmosphere as illustrated by tornadoes and
cyclones, accompanying his explanations with
photographs and diagrams. Arlo Bates adds
his contribution to the rather Improbable dis
cussion engaged IN by so many writers as to
relative merits of realism and art in fiction.
An interesting paper by Prof. John F. Weir of
the Yale Art School, 1.-THE Revival Of Handi-
craft concludes as follows:
New channels for skilled labor rapidly
multiplying through extensive revival of
handicraft and they who have watched the
progress of the movement in 1t something
more than ephemeral effect of present tastes.
For this revival of craftsmanship, every
where manifest, discovers the fact that there is
a large class. rapidly growing IN numbers, whose
taste and discretion will not accept machine
made things; they require in everything with
which they surround themselves some expression
of sensibility and thought some thoroughness
to excellence of design and workmanship; in
short they demand that things shall be peahti
full well useful, in imitation of that intelli
gence which hath made all things beautiful in
His time deeming it to be through some such
means, worthy ambition. that society is
raised above the bare needs of physical existence
a realization of the truth that when first
wants satisfied, then the higher wants become
imperative higher necessity of human
life